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Thursday, July 05, 2012

This new ad is part of New Zealand’s Get Thru campaign and is designed to remind people—teach them, actually—what to do in the event of an earthquake. Apparently, their review of the Canterbury earthquakes found that too few people knew what to do to protect themselves when an earthquake hits.

While it might seem that this wouldn’t protect people if the building they’re in collapses, the reality is that most modern buildings are built to withstand an earthquake, so the “Triangle of Life” method isn’t necessarily the most important survival technique. Instead, people are most at risk from falling objects, and "Drop, Cover and Hold" will help keep them safe from injury—and possible death.

Get Thru’s advertising has been focusing mainly on encouraging Kiwis to “Get Ready, Get Thru”. Advertising with specific survival techniques is a great idea, and using kids to do it is brilliant: Instead of tuning out, cynical adults stop and say, “aw, look at those cute kids!” and then absorb the message. Kids do, too.

“Get Ready, Get Thru” are also promoting New Zealand’s largest-ever earthquake drill, and what they say is the world’s first nationwide drill, called the “New Zealand ShakeOut”. It will be held on Wednesday, September 26 at 9:26am, and people at home, work and school are encouraged to practice "Drop, Cover and Hold".